Jolly? Roger!

Friday

Avast ye, matey! Hoist the tops'l and set sail straight to the Cotuit Center for the Arts to catch their blockbuster rendition of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale Treasure Island. If you miss this, you might as well walk the plank.

Avast ye, matey! Hoist the tops'l and set sail straight to the Cotuit Center for the Arts to catch their blockbuster rendition of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate tale Treasure Island. If you miss this, you might as well walk the plank.

Cap'n Lisa Canto has packed action stem to stern into a rollicking good time of seafarin' swordfights, desert island treasure hunts, and good ole pirate mischief that would make even the most dignified among us go aaaaarrrrrrh! Canto, a life-long actress and director at the Harwich Junior Theater, offers a show that has the not so small stage space literally busting at the seams with action.

Leading the ensemble cast of 20 is young Jim Hawkins, played by Michael Couto, a South Dennis lad who already has amassed a list of credible roles from the HJT to Boston's Children's Theater. Couto commands the stage with wide-eyed wonder as he gets the chance to go to sea, following in the footsteps of his deceased father.

A little naive and wet behind the ears, he quickly falls into the company of Long John Silver and his band of “not so mean” buccaneers. Beaming with talent, Couto could be a child playing pirates in his back yard, but his not so imaginary stage playmates bring the fun into reality. It’s like watching Errol Flynn in a Saturday matinee at the movies.

Steve Ross takes on the role of the peg-legged Capt. Long John Silver. He shows both his pirate side as well as one of compassion, for even the blackest-hearted of blackguards has a little touch of warmth in his heart for a young boy. Ross looks like he's having a blast in his swashbuckling portrayal.

One of the most eccentric characters is Ben Gunn, a shipwrecked inhabitant of Treasure Island who would do just about anything for a piece of cheese. Played by Ricky Bourgeois, he is here, there and everywhere as he performs guerrilla warfare against the pirates in helping the youthful Hawkins get his just reward.

The rest of the merry band are as individual as could be. There are even a couple of women pirates played by Kajsa Brimdyr and Deanna Dziedzina.

Making his stage acting debut is local housing advocate Rick Presbrey. playing Doctor Livesy.

The set is remarkable. Charles G. Baldwin has designed a pretty much two-story working replica of the deck of a ship complete with sails to be hoisted up and down. The action takes place; you’ll feel you’re on a Pirates of the Caribbean ride at a theme park.

If there is anything to fault, it’s that some of the dialog gets lost amid garbled piratesque language, and is sometimes swallowed up by the musical and sound effect soundtrack that runs underneath the play. Other than that, it’s all just too much fun to really complain.

Treasure Island is at the Cotuit Center for the Arts through April 18, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For reservations, call the box office at 508-428-0669

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